Shell has completed the shutdown of its Shearwater platform – which is just four miles away from the gas leak.
The oil giant will now begin a two-month maintenance plan which it had already planned to launch later this month.
Last night, a Shell spokeswoman said she did not expect production to resume until May.
She declined to comment on whether or not the company would take action to recover costs from Total should it be prevented from resuming work.
As a direct result of the risk the Elgin gas leak poses to staff on nearby platforms, Shell has also suspended production on the Noble Hans Deul drilling rig.
On Monday, Shell “dowmanned” the rigs from the 196 people they normally have on board to just 79.